


Love's No Small Thing

by Priestlyislove



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: F/M, Family Bonding, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, GT, Love Confessions, M/M, Macro/Micro, Misunderstandings, Multi, One Shot, dumb jokes, giant tiny - Freeform, oblivious everybody, self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 14:12:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8449360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Priestlyislove/pseuds/Priestlyislove
Summary: Things differ from world to world. The group's learned this over time. From cultural differences to languages, few things are the same. But size? Size is an issue they haven't faced before.





	

Mokona had mentioned they were feeling sick. Fair told them not to push themselves, and although they said they wouldn't, they still transported the group to the next world.

Something felt weird. Very weird, right off the bat. Kurogane had been acutely aware of Fai’s arms around the group, as he is always acutely aware of Fai’s presence, but now the warm weight on his shoulder was gone. Syaoran was still pressed against him, but...lower?

His eyes opened, adjusting to the light of the new world. He was trained to be able to react to new situations within milliseconds, but this was a completely different experience, he could tell that much instantly. He glanced to his side and panic seized him when he didn't see any of his companions. Not until he looked down.

Syaoran was staring up at him, wide eyed. He and the princess were unchanged, except for the fact he barely came up to Kurogane’s waist. Kurogane had always been much taller, but this was just ridiculous.

He took a step back in surprise, but his movement was cut short by a cry. He froze and looked down to see a tiny man dodging out from under his feet. Kurogane shifted his weight quickly so he set his foot down farther away. Kurogane recognized the little man as Fai almost immediately, and this was only confirmed by him calling out, “Wah! Kuro-sama is scary~!”

Syaoran spotted the small Fai as well and gasped. Subconsciously he gripped Sakura closer to his chest, who luckily hadn't changed in relation to him. “What...what's going on?” While nervously glancing around, he noticed Mokona laying on the ground, sleeping peacefully. While not a warrior like Kurogane, Syaoran also thought pretty fast on his feet. The gears in his head started turning. “Do you think it's because of them…?”

Kurogane crouched down next to Mokona. He poked them. “Hey, bun. Get up.”

“How cruel!” Fai purred. He had to raise his voice to be heard. “You know they aren't feeling good! We should just wait until they wake up before we bother them.” Kurogane stared for a moment before reaching a hand towards him. He took a step back. His voice lost a little of it’s playful tone. “Um, what are you doing?”

Kurogane didn't bother responding, pinching him by the torso and lifting him up. His arms were thinner than Kurogane’s fingers. He squirmed a little. Kurogane spoke flatly, “What do you suggest we do then?”

“Uh, Kurogane, be careful,” concern laced Syaoran’s voice. The kid was sweet and only meant well, but Kurogane had some devilish tendencies in him. He lifted Fai up over his head.

“I'm being careful, see?” He did his best to not smirk. “Even if I drop him…” He let go. Fai was too surprised to scream. Before hitting the ground, Kurogane’s other hand was underneath him and broke his fall. “I'm a ninja, remember?”

Fai punched his finger. Whether it was a fake punch or not, Kurogane couldn't tell, since it barely felt like anything. His crying was definitely fake. “Big puppy is such a bully!” He played a good victim considering if their situations were reversed, Fai would be causing him a great deal more trouble.

“Now isn't the time for fighting,” Syaoran pleaded desperately. “Let's just go find some locals and see if they can explain what's going on.”

“Do you want me to carry the princess?” Kurogane asked. “It wouldn't be any trouble, considering you're both even smaller that usual.”

He looked down at her, giving her one of those longing, completely love-struck stares he often sent her way. There was always a little sadness behind that look. It was sappy and made Kurogane gag a little. He could never see himself looking at someone that way. “I've got her.”

“Suit yourself.” Kurogane played it off casually. “I’ll just carry this little imp then.”

“Kuro-kuro reminds me of a big monster who'd destroy cities…” Fai said with mock-grimness. “Humanity has received a grim reminder…”

“Forget what I said earlier. If I drop him, I'm not catching him.”

Syaoran couldn't help but smile a little. From an outsider’s viewpoint, they might seem like they detest each other, but Syaoran knew this was just how they played. And he could see the protective way Kurogane had his fingers curled around Fai, and how Fai draped himself over his hand as if he had no fear of falling from the potentially fatal height.

Kurogane scooped up Mokona and slipped them safely into his pocket. “Let's get a move on then.”

After just a few minutes of walking, the trees cleared up and they found themselves at the edge of a small town. It's structure was similar to Oto’s, and nothing about the buildings suggested people of intensely different sizes lived there. They went over to the closest building. There wasn't anyone outside, which struck the group as a little bizarre. But they had seen much stranger on their travels so they let the thought slip to the back of their minds.

Syaoran pushed open the door with his shoulder, entering first. Kurogane had to duck down, nearly bending in half to make it through the door. There was a man sweeping the floor who did a double take when he saw them.

“Woah!” A huge toothy grin crossed his face. “You're gigantic!” He looked over at Syaoran next, who was about the same height as him. “Hey, is she okay? Do you guys need some help?”

“Are people as big as him not usual in this town?” Syaoran did his best to make himself not sound terribly foreign. The man must've not noticed Fai yet, so Kurogane decided to curl his fingers all the way around him and keep him hidden. He didn't say anything, or if he did, they didn't hear him. Kurogane lowered his arm to his side in an attempt to look more casual.   
“I'd hardly say so. Sometimes we get some big fellas, I once knew a gal who was six foot two. But you're, what? Ten three?”

Kurogane sent a somewhat helpless glance to Syaoran, obviously not understanding why he was suddenly talking about feet. Syaoran just shrugged back. Kurogane faked a smile, which was something he wasn't very good at. “Yes.” It sounded a little like a question, but the guy didn't seem to notice.

He whistled. “Wow. You guys come from someplace far? I don't recognize your accents.”

“You could say that.” Syaoran nodded. “Do you know if there's anywhere nearby where we could spend a couple of nights?”

“You're in luck, ‘cause this happens to be the most popular inn in town.” The looks on their faces gave away their disbelief. He laughed a little. “I know it doesn't look like much. This place used to be buzzing! Ever since a couple months ago, our patrons slowly decreased. The whole town feels like a ghost town. No one passes through anymore.” That was worth investigating, but they were tired and needed time to strategize, so they didn't prompt him any further.

He walked over, reaching into his big pocket. He pulled out a key and held it out to Kurogane, who took it with his free hand. “Down that hall, third door to the left. You can stay there. My name’s Jack, just holler if you need more beds or anything of the sort. The only other customer in this place is Ol’ Miss Heather, and she won't bother you. We can talk payment later, it seems your lady there could use some sleep.”

Syaoran nodded and thanked him, and they went to the room he had spoken of. Kurogane had to duck again to get in, but luckily the ceiling was high enough that he could stand up straight inside. In the main room was a bed pushed against the wall, below a dusty window. At the foot of the bed was a wooden desk and a wooden chair to go with it. There was a table and set of chairs in the middle of the room. Two smaller rooms were on the left side. Syaoran set Sakura down on the bed, choosing to sit in the chair by the desk so he could keep an eye on her.

Kurogane lifted his hand back up to chest level, unfurling his fingers and freeing Fai. Naturally, Fai looked a little frazzled. He stood up, grabbing Kurogane’s fingers as he wobbled and turning to face him. “Why didn't you warn me before you did that?” Fai complained, “I thought you were gonna squish me.”

“That Jack guy didn't think it was normal for someone to be my height, and I'm a lot closer to his height than you are. I don't know how he'd react to seeing someone so tiny, but I thought it would be better if we just didn't risk it.”

“Aw, you were worried about me,” Fai placed his hand on his chest. “I'm finally seeing the heart buried deep within the beast…”

“I am _unbelievably_ close to dropping you right now.”

Fai ignored that comment, instead laying flat against his palm, pressing the side of his face against his wrist. “I can hear your heartbeat. Incredible. You aren't as cold and dead on the inside as you are the outside.” Kurogane plucked him up by the back of shirt with his other hand, moving him over to the bed and dropping him down next to Sakura. Fai called up at him, “You can't hide from your feelings forever!”

Kurogane looked at Syaoran. “Can we just get a jar and keep him in it? I think it'll help us in the long run.”

“How mean!” Fai cooed. “Anyway, it's not like I'm the one who’s going to be drawing attention to us.”

“He does have a point there, Kurogane. We were lucky that there weren't any people out to see you. Next time I should probably go alone.” Syaoran spoke firmly. Fai cleared his throat and pointed at himself. Syaoran smiled weakly, “I don't think that's a good idea, either. I'd have to hide you and if something bad happens, I'm not sure I'd be able to protect you.”

Fai seemed a little offended at the implication he'd need protection, but Kurogane spoke up first, “If something bad happens, I should be there to help. So what if people stare.”

“I-I just don't know if that's the best plan,” Syaoran usually just trusted his judgement, so this was surprising.

Kurogane frowned. “Alright, well, the sweeping guy already saw me, so I'm going to go question him some more. You watch over the princess, and when she's awake we can decide what to do.” As an afterthought, he pulled Mokona out of his pocket. They were still fast asleep. He set them down on the table. “Watch them, too.” He left in a huff. 

Fai looked over at Syaoran, his maternal instincts kicking back into gear. He rushed a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “Are you alright, dear? You've seemed a little off since we arrived here.”

Syaoran tried to smile it off. “Sorry, I'm okay.”

Fai walked across the length of the bed, Syaoran politely waiting for him to make his way over. He placed his hands on his hips. “Don't lie to me.”

He let out a little sigh. “Sorry,” he apologized again. “I'm just worried. About Sakura, about Mokona, about this whole size thing, about the feathers, just...I'm worried about everything.”

“That's normal.” Fai reassured him. “You've got a lot on your plate, and you've been very brave, but you're still just a kid. You've got me and Mr. Grumpypants to help you out, too. This isn't your burden alone.”

He nodded. “Right.”

At this point Sakura had woken up. She sat up and yawned, stretching her arms up. “Did I fall asleep again?” She let her arms fall unceremoniously to her sides. She smiled groggily at Syaoran. “Sorry.”

He smiled back. “You don't have to apologize for it.” He snapped out of his lovesick daze and remembered the situation at hand. “But, um, there's something you should know. In this world, for some reason, Kurogane is really tall, and Fai is very small.” Syaoran spread his arms out wide when he mentioned Kurogane and held his thumb and pointer finger apart when he mentioned Fai.

She blinked. “Come again?” He motioned to the spot next to her on the bed where Fai had walked to, deciding it would be easier for her to see it for herself than to explain it. She spotted Fai and let out a gasp.

“Oh, you look like a little fairy,” Sakura didn't try to hide the wonder in her voice. She was quite clearly delighted by the delicate figure sitting beside her.

Fai smiled up at her. Her unfiltered reaction had been just as pure and positive as she always was. “And you look as lovely as ever, Princess. A couple hundred feet did nothing to tarnish your beauty.”

She laughed, and then leaned in closer. “Could I pick you up?” Her eyes were shining brightly. She was clearly enamoured with the thought of holding a tiny person.

“I don't see why not. Just be gentle.” He didn't seem like the biggest fan of getting jostled around, and he certainly had never been a fan of giving any control of himself over to another person, but he couldn't say no to her. She laid her hands down on the bed, one on either side of him, carefully scooping him up. He looked like a doll in her hands, a little more reasonable in comparison than when he was in Kurogane's enormous hands.

“And this just happened when we came here?” She asked, not directing her question at Fai or Syaoran, just to the room in general.

Syaoran answered, “We're not sure if it has to do with this world or if it's something else. Once Mokona wakes up, we’ll ask them what they know.”

Fai nodded. “That's the plan. But oh, I have a secret to tell you, come closer.” he motioned to her, acting like he was very serious. She brought him up near her ear. He stood on his tiptoes and kissed her cheek lightly. She giggled, bringing him back into her line of sight.

“That was such a strange feeling! Kinda like butterfly wings brushing up against my face.” She looked over at Syaoran. “You should do it for him too!”

Fai sat back down in her hand. He grinned, “But Sakura, I'm sure he'd much prefer a kiss from you.”

She let out a scandalized gasp. “You shouldn't joke about such things!” She was distracted enough by their playing that she didn't notice Syaoran blushing. As they laughed, she glanced around the room. “Where is Mokona?”

Syaoran pointed to the table, where they appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Sakura stood up, careful to move slow and not jostle Fai. She walked over and looked them over. “Are they hurt?” She moved her hand close enough to the table where Fai could hop off onto its surface. Once her hands were empty, she gently stroked Mokona. “Oh dear, they’re hot.” She turned to Syaoran. “Would it be possible to get a wet towel?”

He nodded, scrambling up and checking the other rooms for towels or a source of water. After a moment he came back with a dampened cloth. He handed it over obediently, placing his hands on the table anxiously. She pressed the cloth against their forehead. Mokona muttered a little in their sleep, but didn't stir any more than that.

“This should break the fever.” She spoke with a soft but fierce determination. “I hope they're okay…”

Fai grabbed Syaoran’s hand with both of his, pulling it over to Sakura’s. Syaoran didn't fight back, letting their hands brush. His face turned red and he swallowed hard, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. She blushed and looked at him in surprise, but she didn't look mad. Fai stepped back to admire his handiwork. He knew it was what both of them were longing for but were too afraid to act on. “I-it’ll be fine. Don't worry.”

She smiled at him so brightly that he felt it warm his heart. “Yeah.” They stared into each other’s eyes for a while. Slowly they started to lean in.

Kurogane entered the room. “I don't know where the bastard went, but I looked all around the place.” He took in the scene that was in front of him. “Oh. Sorry for interrupting.” He ducked back down and closed the door behind him.

“K-Kurogane! You don't have to go!” Sakura called after him, getting flustered and letting go of Syaoran’s hand. She ran over to the door, opening it back up. She took a step back, craning her neck up to look at him. “Wow...you _are_ tall.”

He nodded and followed her back in. “Like I was saying, I couldn't find the guy we talked to earlier. I think he's out of the building.”

“I should go out and ask around for information. I'll see if I can find him. You and Fai should stay here.” Syaoran said, sorting out his plan in his mind. He looked at Sakura. “Princess, would you like to come with me?”

She got excited, not used to being included in their plans. “Oh! I’d love to.” The other two didn't object, so they took off.

“Crazy kids.” Kurogane sighed. He noticed the cloth on Mokona. He pointed at them. “What's all this about?”

“They had a fever. Sakura said it would help.” Fai filled him in. “So you didn't find out anything? How useless~”

Kurogane snorted. “Yeah, and you've been so helpful.”

“I'm here for moral support.” He brushed him off unapologetically. Kurogane pulled out a chair and sat on it with a little difficulty, since the seats were made for people half his height.

“Whatever.” He stretched, feeling a little drowsy. It was nighttime in this country, and on their last adventure none of them had gotten a chance to get a lot of sleep. “Do you want me to carry you back over to the bed?”

Fai looked up. “Pardon?”

“I'll keep watch. I'll put you down over there so you can sleep.” Kurogane motioned with his hands as he talked.

“I'm okay. But thanks?” Fai wasn't really sure how to take that. He was pretty sure it was made in kindness, but sometimes he just couldn't tell with Kurogane. The guy was rarely forthright with his nice gestures. _Really, how tsundere._

Kurogane just kind of grunted and directed his attention to the door, waiting for any intruders or whatever bizarre problems this world was going to hit them with.

Eventually, Kurogane gave in to his tiredness. When he woke up, he didn't remember going to sleep. He was still upright in his chair, facing the door which showed no signs of being opened. His hand was on the table, which he didn't remember doing, but there was a small warm weight in it. He glanced down to see Fai laying with the upper half of his body on Kurogane’s palm. He wasn't sure if Fai made a conscious decision to do that, or if while he slept he migrated towards him. Kurogane wasn't sure which answer he preferred.

“Hey.” Kurogane tried to keep his voice soft. He nudged Fai.

“I'm up,” Fai responded, laying face down so Kurogane couldn't see his expression.

He tried to shake him off. “Okay, you've had your fun. Get off of me.”

“I'm up now.” Fai murmured. “G’morning.” Kurogane moved his hand a little more and Fai rolled onto his side. He could see his eyes were still closed. “I'm awake now.”

After repeating himself a couple more times, Kurogane came to realize he was not actually awake at all. He sighed. “You can't stop causing me trouble even when you're asleep, huh?” He tried to pull his hand out from under him without waking him up. Fai reached out his arms in a subconscious attempt to bring him back. There was a weird vulnerability about him right then, small and asleep and wanting Kurogane. He swallowed hard. He didn't want _him_ , he corrected himself, he just wanted something soft and warm.

Fai woke up, drawing his arms back in like a cat as he sat up. He looked up at him through his messy bangs. “Did I fall asleep?” He yawned, acting as carefree as ever. “Well, I'm sure you did a fine job protecting the place even without my supervision.”

Kurogane wanted to show some physical affection and his usual move would be to ruffle his hair, but he didn't want to risk applying too much force and squishing him. Instead he opted for just sort of rubbing his torso with his forefinger.

Fai was suddenly wide awake. Kurogane had never seen Fai get embarrassed before, he was usually the one doing the embarrassing. But his face had suddenly turned a deep shade of scarlet. He trembled slightly. “K-kuro-sama, I know you're a forward man, b-but don't you think touching me there is moving a little too quick?”

Kurogane was confused, but he realized that his finger was so large that his stroking movements encompassed more than just Fai’s chest and stomach, reaching a little too low for comfort. He quickly retracted his finger, his face turning red too. “That's not what I meant-”

Sakura and Syaoran chose this moment to reenter the room. “We're back,” Sakura called out merrily, stopping when she saw the looks on their faces. “Oh dear, what happened? You both look flustered.”

Fai scrambled up to his feet. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure and lose his boner. “Never mind that. Did you two find anything out about this world?”

Syaoran, luckily totally oblivious to the awkwardness in room, said, “Apparently this town used to get a ton of tourism. Ever since a couple months ago, no new people have come into the town. No one we talked to found this strange or thought to leave the town, so it's safe to assume no people have left either. It's like there's a bubble around this town. One woman pointed it she couldn't remember the last time it rained, either, so I think whatever it is keeping the people in is also keeping other things out.”

“But nothing they said sounded like it would have any affect on how big or small a person is.” Sakura piped in. “We have no reason to think it has to do with this world in particular. My theory,” she couldn't help but smile at the phrase, “is that it has to do with Mokona not feeling well.”

As Sakura spoke, Mokona stirred. They looked at the group, confused and obviously still not feeling their best. “Huh?”

Sakura hurried over. “Good morning! Are you feeling better?”

“Oh no,” they gave her a concerned look. “Did Mokona cause trouble?”

“Not at all sweetheart.” She took the cloth of their forehead, checking their temperature with the back of her hand. “Don't worry.”

“Now wait a minute.” Kurogane cut in. “Weren't you just saying it's that thing’s fault we’re like this?” This was usually the point where Fai would make a snide remark but he was still gathering himself, so he remained quiet.

Mokona coughed. “Mokona is feeling really bad and couldn’t use all the secret techniques. A couple abilities shut off automatically when Mokona is sick.”

“We've still been able to talk to each other the whole time, though.” Syaoran mentioned. Mokona nodded.

“Translation is important! Relative sizes are less important.” Mokona explained, “People from different worlds are different sizes. Mokona keeps you all the same height to make traveling easier.”

They all exchanged glances, thinking about what this meant. “So are all the people in Kurogane’s country that big?” Sakura asked, earning another nod from Mokona. “And Syaoran and I stayed the same since we're from the same world? Wow.” Her eyes lit up as she considered the possibilities. “Are there even _bigger_ people? Have we been to countries we’re were a hundred meters tall?”

“Maybe _I_ should be little kitty instead…” Fai thought out loud. He sounded a little impressed, “You guys are from such big worlds!”

“Um, how do we fix this?” Syaoran asked nervously.

“Mokona’s skill will work when Mokona is feeling better.”

“And how long is that going to take?” Kurogane asked. Mokona shrugged. He groaned. “ _Great_.”

“We’ll help you recover.” Sakura smiled brightly. “We're lucky this world we landed in was similarly sized to mine and Syaoran’s, since we can blend in pretty well while we wait.”

“But that leaves daddy and mommy out of commission,” Fai pointed out.

“Don't worry, we can handle this!” Sakura spoke without a doubt in her mind. “We’ll help this town, and we’ll get Mokona feeling better, and we’ll get back to normal, and oh! Is there a feather in this world?”

Mokona focused for a moment. “Yes. Somewhere nearby.”

“We’ll get that too! We've got this.” She finished. “Have faith in us!”

Fai smiled. “I trust you both very much, I just wish we could help more. And I'm sure Kuro-wanwan wishes he could help more too, he just has to keep up his grumpy act. He doesn't want us to know he's such a softie underneath it all.”

Kurogane would usually respond with aggression but he was still feeling uncomfortable from earlier so he didn't respond at all. Sakura grabbed Syaoran’s hand. “Let's go find some more clues!”

The rational thing to do would be ask what she meant by clues, but Syaoran was too wrapped up in the sudden handholding to do anything more competent than say “y-yeah.”

“Let Mokona come too! Mokona wants to help!” Mokona bounced up.

“Shouldn't you just rest up?” Fai asked.

“But we might need their help to figure out where the feather is…” Syaoran mentioned. Sakura nodded and scooped them up in her free hand, holding them safely to her chest.

“If you start feeling worse, we’ll bring you back. Sounds good?” Sakura offered. Mokona nodded. “Okay, we’re off!” She pulled Syaoran out of the door.

Alone again. The silence was stifling. Kurogane glanced down at Fai, his face growing hot just remembering what happened earlier. “So.” He started awkwardly.

“So.” Fai repeated with a little more poise, as a confirmation to continue.

“About earlier.” He had no idea what to say.

“Mhm,” Fai edged him on, still not looking at him. He didn't seem angry, but he never seemed angry.

“You-...I didn't mean-...you're just so-...and I-...” He tried.

“You sound like Syaoran.” Fai joked, but he didn't laugh. Kurogane wasn't sure if that was a good sign. Fai turned to face him. His smile was patient, but Kurogane had learned by now that his calm always hid a storm. He motioned for Kurogane to move closer. He moved his chair until his midsection was pressed against the table. Fai motioned him even closer. Kurogane leaned in so his nose was only a few inches away from Fai. Fai stepped closer now, closing the gap.

Fai placed his hands on the sides of Kurogane’s mouth, getting up on his tiptoes and placing a kiss on his bottom lip. He pulled away with a grin. “My dumb giant,” he purred.

Kurogane did not hesitate for a moment. His hand was wrapped around him in an instant, pulling him back in. He kissed the top of his head, causing Fai to erupt into giggles. Kurogane kissed him again.

“Hang on, hang on.” Fai said between fits of delighted laughter. “I gotta-I gotta tell you something.” Kurogane paused, waiting for him to say it. But when he went to speak again, only gibberish came out. He looked up at Kurogane with an expectant smile.

“Could you repeat that?” Kurogane asked, and Fai blinked in surprise. They both tried a few more times to talk before realizing Mokona must be out of range.

All they could do now was sit in silence.

The realization of what he'd just done was beginning to dawn on Kurogane. They had kissed a bunch of times. None were proper kisses, but they couldn't have one with this size difference. He had gotten so caught up in the rush of the moment he didn't really think of the aftermath. What if Fai hated him now?

He glanced at the man in question, who was now entertaining himself by walking along the edge of the table and singing a little song, completely wrapped up in his own world.

And so it went on. For minutes, and minutes, and minutes. Then hours. They both started to get worried. Kurogane stood up, knowing he couldn't just wait around any longer. He went to just leave since he wouldn't be able to explain to Fai what he was doing, but he couldn't just leave him alone. He walked back over to the table, this time not just grabbing him. He laid his hand down for him to climb on. Fai looked up at him and seemed to understood, obviously worried about their companions too. He got up on Kurogane’s hand, kneeling on the uneven surface.

Kurogane took off from the room. Jack saw him in the hall and said something that neither of them understood, so Kurogane just sort of waved with his free hand. He continued out of the inn, ducking under the low doorway. It was nice to be out of that small room. There weren't any people out again, which was good news. No one would stop and try and make small talk with him. But ashe hurried, he realized that even if he found someone, he wouldn't be able to ask anyone if they've seen Syaoran or Sakura. He had no real way to find them.

“How does he think we're going to find them?” Fai mumbled. Kurogane looked down at him.

“Did you just say something?” Kurogane asked, and Fai looked up at him. If they could understand each other again, then the group couldn't be that far. Kurogane picked up the pace a little. He knew they had a lot to talk about, but it could wait until they knew the others were safe.

As fate would have it, they were found first. “Kurogane! Fai!” Syaoran called out, waving to them from a couple buildings over. Kurogane headed over. Syaoran held Sakura’s unconscious body and Mokona sat in her lap, but luckily none of them seemed harmed. “We found the feather. It was keeping this town locked in and, well, we can talk about it more later. Mokona says they're feeling well enough to get us back to normal, but we’ll have to transfer worlds to do it.”

Since Fai could not, Kurogane wrapped his arm around Syaoran to make sure they weren't separated. Once they were ready, Mokona swallowed them up.

They landed in knee deep water. Knee deep was an accurate measurement, since now their knees were all at about the same height. Kurogane’s hand that was holding Fai was now at the small of his back. Fai's cheeks were dusted with pink, but he didn't pull away. Kurogane removed his arm from around Syaoran, who knew enough to give them a little space. Mokona was going to ask him what was going on, but he silently shushed them, giving them a ‘wait and see’ look.

“So, um,” Kurogane breathed. He had never noticed how long Fai’s eyelashes were before. “You wanted to tell me something?”

Fai cupped his cheeks and gave him a real kiss. Kurogane kissed back, pulling him in as close as he could. The rest of the world dissolved as Fai smiled, “I love you.” 


End file.
